2023 Best Value Teaching Master's Degree Schools in California
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Prices
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for teaching students. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools and bootcamps that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Teaching Degree Search has created the Best Value Teaching Master's Degree Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 56 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value master's degree programs for teaching students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
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Top Value Teaching Master's Degree Schools in California
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Concordia University, Irvine to be the best value school for teaching students who want to pursue a master’s degree in California. Concordia University, Irvine is a private not-for-profit institution located in Irvine, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 506 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Concordia University, Irvine graduate students pay an average of $8,564 in tuition and fees each year.
Concordia University, Irvine is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Concordia University, Irvine also made our Best Teaching Master’s Degree Schools in California list, coming in at #5.
The excellent master’s degree programs at California State University - Long Beach helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value teaching schools in California. Located in Long Beach, California, the large public school handed out 172 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at CSULB are $17,784 per year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since CSULB does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In fact, around 100% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Read full report on California State University - Long Beach
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Sacramento. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Teaching Master’s Degree Schools in California list. California State University - Sacramento is a large public school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 319 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Sac State graduate students pay an average of $18,330 in tuition and fees each year.
Sac State does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. During the 2019-2020 year, about 86% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
The excellent master’s degree programs at California State University - Los Angeles helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value teaching schools in California. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out master’s degrees to 345 students in 2020-2021.
Cal State LA graduate students pay an average of $17,723 in tuition and fees each year.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at Cal State LA. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 100% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fullerton. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Teaching Master’s Degree Schools in California list. Cal State Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 430 master’s degrees to qualified students.
Cal State Fullerton graduate students pay an average of $17,914 in tuition and fees each year.
Online graduate courses are available at Cal State Fullerton, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 99% took at least some of their classes online.
California State University - San Bernardino landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree teaching programs. Located in San Bernardino, California, the fairly large public school handed out 199 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
CSUSB graduate students pay an average of $18,151 in tuition and fees each year.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at CSUSB. In fact, around 100% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
California State University - San Marcos ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Teaching Master’s Degree Schools in California list. CSUSM is a fairly large public school situated in San Marcos, California. It awarded 103 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
CSUSM graduate students pay an average of $18,665 in tuition and fees each year.
One thing to take note of is that CSUSM does offer online graduate classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 99% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
California State University - Fresno did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for teaching students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Fresno State is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 349 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Fresno State are $17,591 a year.
Fresno State does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 98% took at least some of their classes online.
California State University - East Bay did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for teaching students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Cal State East Bay is located in Hayward, California and has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 293 master’s degrees to qualified students.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Cal State East Bay are $17,933 a year.
You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at Cal State East Bay. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 100% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #10, California State University - Northridge did quite well on this year’s best value schools for teaching students working on their master’s degree. CSUN is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 291 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at CSUN are $17,981 a year.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at CSUN. In fact, around 91% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
San Jose State University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Teaching Master’s Degree Schools in California list. San Jose State is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 335 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at San Jose State are $18,790 a year.
San Jose State does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In 2019-2020 about 94% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #12, California State University - Bakersfield did quite well on this year’s best value schools for teaching students working on their master’s degree. This fairly large public school is located in Bakersfield, California, and it awarded 169 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at CSUB are $18,517 a year.
Some students may be able to take online graduate classes at CSUB. In 2019-2020 about 99% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Read full report on California State University - Bakersfield
With a ranking of #13, California State University - Stanislaus did quite well on this year’s best value schools for teaching students working on their master’s degree. California State University - Stanislaus is a fairly large public school located in Turlock, California that handed out 110 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Stan State are $18,582 a year.
Stan State does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 99% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
California State University - Monterey Bay came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Teaching Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in Seaside, California, the medium-sized public school handed out 94 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at CSUMB are $18,156 a year.
One thing to take note of is that CSUMB does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In fact, around 97% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Read full report on California State University - Monterey Bay
California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for teaching students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #15 on the list. Located in Carson, California, the fairly large public school handed out 218 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
CSUDH graduate students pay an average of $17,998 in tuition and fees each year.
One thing to take note of is that CSUDH does offer online graduate classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 97% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Brandman University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for teaching students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #16 on the list. Brandman University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in Irvine, California that handed out 784 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Brandman are $12,720 per year.
Brandman is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each graduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Brandman excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Teaching Master’s Degree Schools in California list.
With a ranking of #16, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo did quite well on this year’s best value schools for teaching students working on their master’s degree. Located in San Luis Obispo, California, the large public school handed out 78 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo graduate students pay an average of $21,133 in tuition and fees each year.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. During the 2019-2020 year, about 95% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Teaching Master’s Degree Schools in California list.
Point Loma Nazarene University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for teaching students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #18 on the list. Located in San Diego, California, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 159 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at PLNU are $11,880 per year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since PLNU does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 56% took at least some of their classes online.
San Francisco State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Teaching Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. SFSU is a large public school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 231 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
SFSU graduate students pay an average of $18,242 in tuition and fees each year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since SFSU does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 93% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
University of California - Irvine landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree teaching programs. UC Irvine is located in Irvine, California and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 131 master’s degrees to qualified students.
UC Irvine graduate students pay an average of $28,458 in tuition and fees each year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since UC Irvine does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 95% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UC Irvine also did well on our Best Teaching Master’s Degree Schools in California list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
San Diego State University landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree teaching programs. This large public school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 387 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at SDSU are $19,074 per year.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since SDSU does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 91% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #22, Fresno Pacific University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for teaching students working on their master’s degree. Located in Fresno, California, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 118 master’s degree awards in 2020-2021.
Fresno Pacific graduate students pay an average of $15,060 in tuition and fees each year.
Fresno Pacific does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 11% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Fresno Pacific also made our Best Teaching Master’s Degree Schools in California list, coming in at #4.
University of California - Berkeley did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for teaching students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #23 on the list. Located in Berkeley, California, the large public school awarded 86 diplomas to qualifed master’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UC Berkeley are $29,262 a year.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at UC Berkeley. Of all the graduate students enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 90% took at least some of their classes online.
In addition to its great value ranking, UC Berkeley is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Teaching Master’s Degree Schools in California list.
Sonoma State University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Teaching Master’s Degree Schools in California ranking. This medium-sized public school is located in Rohnert Park, California, and it awarded 54 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at SSU are $18,926 per year.
One thing to take note of is that SSU does offer online graduate classes in some areas. In fact, around 90% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #25, California State University - Chico did quite well on this year’s best value schools for teaching students working on their master’s degree. California State University - Chico is a fairly large public school located in Chico, California that handed out 50 master’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Chico State graduate students pay an average of $18,802 in tuition and fees each year.
One thing to take note of is that Chico State does offer online graduate classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 99% of the graduate students at the school took at least one online course.
Best Value Teaching Master's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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